Theia: the electronic guide dog

This Friday morning, good news for all visually impaired people looking for a little help. A handle that will guide them exactly like a guide dog.

A virtual, electronic guide dog. Because it is very difficult to have a real one, in flesh and hair. The training is very expensive (25,000 euros), even if the dogs are then given free of charge to the visually impaired. Result: only between 200 and 250 guide dogs are entrusted each year to the blind or visually impaired. While disability affects nearly two million people in France.

Now there is an alternative: a little handle crammed with electronics that looks like a shower head. You will feel like you're being pulled in one direction or another. Just like holding a friend's hand or a dog's leash.

With a simple handle? How it is possible ?

Because inside there are multiple motors and a gyroscope that can move the handle in any direction. It is the same principle as on some game controllers.

It's crammed with electronics because the system understands the destination by voice recognition. Then, he will use a radar, a GPS and cameras to be able to guide while avoiding obstacles (sidewalks, passers-by, cars, etc.). You just have to follow the movements of the handle.

Is it already marketed?

Soon. It's still a prototype. The final version should arrive early next year. The device is called the Theia. It is developed by engineers at Loughborough University in England. Certainly, it will never replace a pet. But it is an alternative that could make the visually impaired a little more independent.